Adjective endings are not completely regular in Icelandic. They depend on the ending of the base of the word to a degree. Other parts of the word may also change in some cases. A sound change may happen to vowels. This is what is called „hljóðvarp“ in Icelandic. It is the same concept as the Umlaut in German. Adjective declinations for case, gender and number are still regular enough that one should be able to get a fair understanding of their patterns with some practice.
Let's look at the adjective for new
Without an article
|
Masculine |
Feminine |
Neuter |
Nominative |
nýr |
ný |
nýtt |
Accusative |
nýjan |
nýja |
nýtt |
Dative |
nýjum |
nýrri |
nýju |
Genitive |
nýs |
nýrrar |
nýs |
|
Plural masculine |
Plural feminine |
Plurar neuter |
Nominative |
nýir |
nýjar |
ný |
Accusative |
nýja |
nýjar |
ný |
Dative |
nýjum |
nýjum |
nýjum |
Genetive |
nýrra |
nýrra |
nýrra |
With the definite article
|
Masculine |
Feminine |
Neuter |
Plural |
Nominative |
nýi |
nýja |
nýja |
nýju |
Accusative |
nýja |
nýju |
nýja |
nýju |
Dative |
nýja |
nýju |
nýja |
nýju |
Genitive |
nýja |
nýju |
nýja |
nýju |
Here is another example of an adjective, fast, which does in some cases have „hljóðvarp“ (vowel changes)
|
Masculine |
Feminine |
Neuter |
Nominative |
hraður |
hröð |
hratt |
Accusative |
hraðan |
hraða |
hratt |
Dative |
hröðum |
hraðri |
hröðu |
Genitive |
hraðs |
hraðrar |
hraðs |
|
Plural masculine |
Plural feminine |
Plurar neuter |
Nominative |
hraðir |
hraðar |
hröð |
Accusative |
hraða |
hraðar |
hröð |
Dative |
hröðum |
hröðum |
hröðum |
Genetive |
hraðra |
hraðra |
hraðra |
With the definite article
|
Masculine |
Feminine |
Neuter |
Plural |
Nominative |
hraði |
hraða |
hraða |
hröðu |
Accusative |
hraða |
hröðu |
hraða |
hröðu |
Dative |
hraða |
hröðu |
hraða |
hröðu |
Genitive |
hraða |
hröðu |
hraða |
hröðu |
Now let's look at the adjective for strong. Note how it is declined in mostly the same way as new, but there is only one -t at the end in neuter, nominative, singular and how in genetive, plural there is only one r for strong, but two for new.
|
Masculine |
Feminine |
Neuter |
Nominative |
sterkur |
sterk |
sterkt |
Accusative |
sterkan |
sterka |
sterkt |
Dative |
sterkum |
sterkrar |
sterks |
Genitive |
sterks |
sterkrar |
sterks |
|
Plural masculine |
Plural feminine |
Plurar neuter |
Nominative |
sterkir |
sterkar |
sterk |
Accusative |
sterka |
sterkar |
sterk |
Dative |
sterkum |
sterkum |
sterkum |
Genetive |
sterkra |
sterkra |
sterkra |
With the definite article
|
Masculine |
Feminine |
Neuter |
Plural |
Nominative |
sterki |
sterka |
sterka |
sterku |
Accusative |
sterka |
sterku |
sterka |
sterku |
Dative |
sterka |
sterku |
sterka |
sterku |
Genitive |
sterka |
sterku |
sterka |
sterku |